Apr 5, 2019 6 min read

A Brush with Life - Issue #23 New Landscape Paintings Released

The Terrill Welch Gallery’s winter studio has been a productive space over these past few months. Now it is time to get all the edges painted and the work released into the online inventory ahead of setting up the first physical show of the season. Officially, the first gallery show Between Here and There will run from May 17 - July 7, 2019 with - Paintings about a life lived within the landscape between the Southwest Coast to North Central of British Columbia by internationally collected, contemporary Canadian artist, Terrill Welch.

However, there is often a kind of soft opening with the gallery space and since recently over 50 visitors where in browsing on a weekend, it is already getting more difficult to paint in the space. So it is now time to get the work that is done ready for show and move the painting practice to the home studio and back out in the open air!

Let’s see if we can share the latest five works for you! ....

The first painting is a large 36 x 48 inch oil on canvas seascape...

All In One Reef Bay Mayne Island BC by Terrill Welch | Artwork Archive

Winds had howled for days. It was the second storm in just a few weeks. As the storm edged its way back from our shores I headed for the shores. The breaking...

This next work is from a slightly different view on the same day and is a smaller 16 x 20 inch oil on canvas seascape painting.

West Coast Moment by Terrill Welch | Artwork Archive

The storm is easing up but it is hard to notice as the waves keep crashing into the reef. There is a tendency to linger, even when the wind wedges under my r...

And a third 20 x 24 inch seascape painting is from the September light looking across to Vancouver from Georgina Point.

Catching Our Breath by Terrill Welch | Artwork Archive

The warm air is whisked away by the offshore breeze bringing soft mist with the rolling waves of the sea. We stand there in this forever moment - catching ou...

We shall now shift to the deep west coast forest with another large 40 x 30 inch oil painting. This one really should be viewed in person, well they all should, but this one in particularly is extra intriguing when standing about 7 - 10 feet away right in front of it.

When I am Among the Trees by Terrill Welch | Artwork Archive

Long sashaying switchbacks with winter run off springs near the bottom obscuring dry footing on the trails. As a gentle wind calls through golden green tree ...

And the final new release is another smaller 20 x 16 work walking through the dappled light of a seaside west coast trail...

Trees I Truly See You by Terrill Welch | Artwork Archive

I can feel the sandstone, worn bare of moss, under my feet as I stride the undulating path. Bits of arbutus bark leave warm orange-red foil colours in groove...

Opinion piece

After publishing the last issue, I received an email reply asking how I defined success because the person was suspicious that it went beyond the usual (more conventional) measures of painting sales and being juried into exhibitions. It was a good guess. I have a broad rather intricate definition of success that has been steeped in much observation and conversation with an old friend.

For me, success is not about getting it right and sailing to the finish line of life. Success is about allowing your persistence to sail your vision through every day… while the breeze of your passion and potential charts your course.

But here is the story about how I arrived at this definition...

A moment with Frank Jordan | Creative Potager

After his daughter found my book and letters he was keeping, I was notified today that a special friend, Frank Jordan, died last Sunday. He was 90 years old. He lived a full life! I will miss him. He has had such a powerful influence on me. It was so nice of his daughter to…

Success is about engaging fully in what is most important to me. Yes, sales and the occasional inclusion in a juried show (especially in New York City) are significant but they are not truly a very good measure by themselves of my success as a painter. However, when I receive a note or comment that you have wandered down a trail or been splashed by a big wave or sat still beside the ripples next to a shore while viewing one of my paintings - THEN I know I have been successful! Without this deep visceral connection to the landscape shared between us what would be the point? This is the whole intention of my work. Should I miss this mark, then the work is flat and merely a long linear description of facts, rather than a full-body engagement that will hopeful create a bridge of wonder and respect and feelings of protectiveness for a places on this earth that we call home.

What has SOLD...

Another painting “Sunset On Brown Ridge” has sold into a private art collection to join a gorgeous room with two other “Terrill Welch” originals.

We managed get a few shots to share with you following the “test hang” and final selection.

If you remember recently, we talked about considering how a room is used as part of deciding on what paintings and where to hang them. If you have a particularly challenging location that you are considering for a new painting, we are happy to work with your ideas and come to do a test hang, if we can. In this case, the art collector’s first idea was their final decision both for the specific painting and where to hang it.

We think this painting is going to be very happy in its new home. What you think?

Framing painting sketches to their advantage

After the article last issue where I asked if you ever considered how art work in your rooms will be mostly be viewed, I received a few replies from art collectors who shared their decisions. Here are two examples.

Both of these small 8 x 10 inch acrylic paintings sketches are framed to draw the viewer into the space.

This first work resides in New Mexico, U.S.A.

And the second work is now in Victoria, B.C., Canada.

Both of these works are framed to create a small window to see beyond the room and the wall and is in a place to inspire. It is a good reminder that even a small work can have a big job to do and do it well!

Note: The collector of this second painting was extremely happy with the local Victoria Framing Store - Picture Perfect Gallery that assisted in bring out the best qualities of this painting for the room and place it was going to hang. We thought it was worthy of a quick recommendation in case you live in this general neighbourhood of the world.

Thank you to everyone who sent me photos of their paintings in their homes! I always find it a great pleasure to see where they live.